Sometimes, life is strange. You think you've written out the perfect chapter, then someone comes along and tears out the page.

Sunday, May 29, 2005

The Cosmic Karma of Laundry

The underlying principle of karma can be summed up simply: what goes around comes around. Nothing in this world demonstrates karma more aptly than laundry--what gets worn, must get washed. Such is my karma every weekend.

A week's worth of outfits for me and The Hubby equals a whole day of doing laundry. And I do mean the whole day--sometimes into the night too. It's not that we change outfits like models in a fashion show (I wish). It's just that I'm a slow laundrywoman.

My mom has trained me well. I recycle water in between cycles. For example, the first rinse of one batch gets to be the soap water of the second batch. The Downy rinse of another batch is the first rinse of the next batch...plus I spin rinse all batches to really wring the soap out, so I can minimize the number of rinses. I cringe at the thought of fully automated washing machines. Think of all the water wasted!

I've been refining my methods to make laundry more efficient. To save on travel time between the house and the service area in the back, I've set up my laptop in the service area. Thank God for wireless internet! I make sure that I have all the equipment needed even before I begin. And I recently discovered this amazing secret, on how to make sure I finish the laundry early. It's so simple really. To finish early, I now start early. Yes. Such a revolutionary idea.

i hate chores. especially the way they slowly eat through your day. be it washing dishes or ironing clothes, they take away precious time better spent on pursuit of intellectual fulfillment. and the cycle repeats itself relentlessly week after week. five years from now, you will stare into the washing machine and realize: where did all that time go?